FULL TILT BOOGIE
Reviewed by Harvey Karten, Ph.D. Dimension Films Director: Sarah Kelly Writer: d/n/a/ Cast: Robert Rodriguez, Lawrence Bender, Paul Hellerman, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino
Let's say you have a day off. It's sunny and you go for a walk when suddenly you come upon a line of gigantic vans advertising "Golden Productions." The traffic department has the No Parking signs up. somce that a scene is being filmed for a movie scheduled to open in seven months. Do you hang around? Probably not. Why not? Because being privy to something that sets the pulse racing is not going to happen. Instead you'll probably observe some production guys just hanging around chewing the fat and then, maybe if you're the type who stays on the phone whenever a customer service tape says "Your call is very important to us; please stay on the line," your tarrying will be rewarded with seven minutes of action.
Watching a shoot on location is among the most tiresome activities in the world. Wouldn't it be grand if you could compress several weeks of filming into two hours and could wander freely, invisible, about the set to see what really goes on? Thanks to a new documentary about the making of a 1996 movie, consider it done. "Full Tilt Boogie" is a chronicle of the filming of "From Dusk 'till Dawn," a campy vampire thriller starring George Clooney, but it's not one of those "talking heads" sagas like "Ayn Rand." It's more in the nature of, say, that intriguing stalk of Woody Allen in "Wild Man Blues" or the rib-tickling satire by Michael Moore, "The Big One." We're given the full run of the set without suffering the 120 degree heat of Barstow, California; without putting in eighteen hours days, only to applaud when the producers give you nonunion wages and throw in a few months' health insurance--which you don't need because you're young; but you're also not going to have as much fun as the folks who have "romances" every minute that they're not on the set or chugging the endless beers in a karaoke bar.
Did someone say "fun"? If you take what some of the crew people say literally, you'd think they were out strictly for the cash. When the gaffers, grips and assistant directors are asked the key question, "Why are you in the film business?" their answers are unanimously "to make money." After just twenty minutes of viewing time, though, you'll know they're fibbing--just as sure as the essential aspect of films (as Juliette Lewis tells us) is lying. Contrary to what Dieter Busch says tongue-in-cheek, "The production process is not important to me," making a film is nonstop pleasure for the production proles as well as the stars.
"Full Tilt Boogie"--the title seems to mean "full steam ahead"--is both a primer on filmmaking and a joyous ode to the fun people can have when they work as a team in the entertainment business. Sarah Kelly, the doc's director, has the merry job of interviewing the stars, their personal assistants, gaffers, grips, electricians, union delegates, make- up people, costumers, and designers. She delights that her exchanges will be featured not on the wearisome Sunday morning TV broadcasts which no one watches (and which those who do cannot take seriously); but will instead be seen by film buffs, horror fans, Clooney groupies and the like who deserve this insight into the jobs of the lucky people who concocted "From Dusk 'till Dawn." To no one's surprise the heavy-hitters--George Clooney, who starred in "From Dusk 'till Dawn" and Quentin Tarantino who wrote it--get a disproportionate amount of time to cavort. Clooney, who parlayed his success in the TV series "E.R." to become the man with the most screen presence in the business today, flirts with every female in sight, indicating that he gets as much "romance" as one of the film crew reports. Flexing his ample muscles and mugging for the camera, Mr. Clooney is well aware of his charisma with the crew as with his large audience. By contrast Quentin Tarantino, whose writing ushered in a new vogue for violence-as-fun, appears nervous, puffing on a big cigar as if admitting he lacks George Clooney's charm but is conscious of his celebrity status with a substantial coterie of fans. Richard Rodriguez, who directed "From Dusk 'till Dawn" after gaining a name for himself with the no-budget "El Mariachi" and "Desperado," parades around the large set with a guitar strapped about his neck, fully prepared to lead the sizable crew in song whenever they feel the urge to vocalize-- which is often. As though to break up the tension--which is nonexistent save for the usual gripes about the food, the heat, and the impossibly long hours--the team set up impish competitions, the most acclaimed being for "Best Butt" on the set. The rump delegates vote from an abundance of choices of Polaroids tacked to the wall, with Juliette Lewis most outspoken about her selection.
>From time to time you'll feel that the squad are aware that the camera is trained on them and that they are expected to act with joyful abandon, but if other documentary subjects like Woody Allen ("Wild Man Blues") are correct, chances are they have forgotten that their activities are being recorded and are simply enjoying themselves like entertainment people everywhere. Even Harvey Keitel, the only performer who allegedly shunned the documentary, turns in a number which at first resembles a sadly philosophic discourse until we remember that he is simply staying in character as the preacher.
To appreciate the documentary, it helps to have seen "From Dusk 'till Dawn," just as viewers of "The X Files" would do well to have watched the TV series for five years in preparation for that film. But director Sarah Kelly throws in enough segments from Mr. Rodriguez's 1996 work to familiarize the unlucky few who passed it by and who will get yet another chance to take in its campy horror when the inevitable sequel hits the screens.
Not Rated. Running time: 100 minutes. (C) Harvey Karten 1998
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